A Cataclysmic Force
by Abandon All Sanity
Summary: The Sparrow Program has been initiated and two teenagers of the same gender and age have been selected and taken to the G.I Joe headquarters to be trained and moulded for a life as a Joe. Indianna's ninja trainer, Snake Eyes, seems to favour Arabella causing a lot of tension between everyone involved. Can Indianna complete the Program and become a Joe? Or will Arabella win?
1. Prologue

**I'm letting you know that I don't know anything about G.I Joe outside of the movies. So don't eat me if I get something wrong hehe. **

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**A Cataclysmic Force**

Indianna Grym. The name sounds cool enough, right? Indianna as in after the courageous and brave (and totally fictional) Indianna Jones- and Grym, translating into 'fierce' in Swedish (though I'm not Swedish.) Anyone with a decent name is extremely lucky, it's something that they're not ashamed to answer with when people ask. I always loved the expression on people's faces when I told them my name, they'd break out into this grin and comment on how cool they thought it was. So, yeah, I can say I'm proud of my name… well, I was.

Then she came along.

She came in with her long, golden, silky hair and her milky pale, slender body. From head to toe this girl was gorgeous- like, ridiculously gorgeous. Her Colgate perfect smile and her shampoo commercial hair. I swear, I could have seen a halo surrounding her perfectly shaped head, but I'm trying to convince myself that it was just the lighting.

Then she spoke, her voice velvety, seductive and just the right pitch. "My name is Arabella Rose."

Suddenly my name seems masculine and depressing compared to hers. Her name _literally _means beauty. Compare Rose to Grym. I'm sure we both know which one sounds more feminine and appealing.

Even though we are both fifteen years of age, she looks as though she's graduating. Her long legs give her a height of about 5'6 while I stand at an awkward 5'3. Maybe her unparalleled beauty is the reason everyone adored her. Looking at her now, she didn't seem to have put up much of a fight when they came to her house to bring her here. I mean, I'm covered in scratches from head to toe, a bruise here and there to break up the angry welts.

I didn't want these people's love and adoration, I'm still holding a grudge against all of them. I mean, I'm standing in a freaking 'secret military base' and was taken in the most stupidest way. You'd think these guys would just ring doorbells. But as I watch all of them smile at her with a zoned out look in their eyes, I feel… miserable. The only one who wasn't looking at Arabella with doe eyes was the red head, she was watching her with a criticizing glare.

I like her, she seems to be the only one around here that can keep her jaw from dropping to the floor. Even I'm staring at the apparent angel that just descended from heaven.

Arabella has wide baby blue eyes, they seem innocent but I know better. There is no way that this girl is not either a demon sent to lead these people astray or an angel from heaven. Either way, this 'apparition' wouldn't be happy with my thoughts on her.

Her plump, pink lips were formed in a natural pout that would knock Angelina Jolie, the pouty lip queen, right off her throne.

So, it's no wonder that the silent ninja, all clad in black with his identity hidden favoured her immediately. He must have looked at Arabella and then me, comparing my stocky build to her dancers body, her long luscious hair to my hazelnut curls, her big and wide blue eyes to my Arabian almond shaped (almost catty looking) goldish amber eyes. Then he would've seen her soft facial features and high cheek bones and compared them to my sharply rounded jaw and strong nose.

He's obviously come to the conclusion that she would be the best field worker. That she would be better at infiltration missions, stealth ops and even combat.

As much as the ninja scared me, as much as he intimidated me with his muscled body and highly skilled moves, it was painful to know that a man who didn't speak and covered his face was judging us on appearances and he's supposed to be the one training us. It makes me lose hope in getting by in this place.

So, I'm sticking with the red head and I'm going to try to get through this stupid situation. It's almost comical.

Indianna Grym. The name sounds totally lame, right? It's sounds like some cliché story about a warrior princess or something. Yeah, well as a fifteen year old girl and being in my predicament, my name is nothing special anymore. Why it bothers me, I still don't know. Why my name was even mentioned in this whole thing, I don't know either. The point is that I'm going to be stuck with angel-faced Arabella and it would appear I'm on my own.  
>My name is Indianna Grym. God help me.<p>

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**Yeah, this is just the prologue. Lemme know what you think, but no hate. **

**Reviews are my energy drink. **


	2. In The Neighbourhood

**First chapter. Yay. **

Do you ever get that feeling that you're about to get jumped? Yes? Good. Because trains are a very unfortunate place to be getting that feeling and I've got it right now. Maybe it's due to the idiots behind me, a mix of female and male high schoolers that are on their way home. Though, they seem to be heading out someplace all together, maybe to go smoke weed and shoplift.

_Poke._

I freeze as I feel someone's finger push against my right shoulder. Maybe it was an accident. There is no point in reacting and turning to make eye contact, that's been a proven way to get yourself in more trouble than you would have been initially.

_Poke._

This one was harder, more forceful. A coincidence. Maybe I should just pretend to be on my phone, that's one of the rules in the 'chick's public safety 101' guide, right? Only problem is that my phone is dead, I'm basically setting myself out for a horror movie plotline.

_Poke._

Stop it.

_Poke. _

Leave me alone.

_Poke, poke. _

My shoulder's practically bruised now.

_POKE. _

I growl and spin around in my seat, glaring at the boy my age with his finger hovering in front of my chest. His eyes are wide, surprised by my sudden movement. Well, what did he want me to do? Turn around slowly and call out a warning while I'm spinning? But his surprised expression fades into a smug one and a smirk plays on his lips. He's handsome, I observe. Mysterious grey eyes and a charming smile. He fits into the tall, dark and handsome category.

This kind of throws me off and a bit of my previous anger fades. How am I supposed to retaliate when the guy looks like something from a teen modelling magazine?

"Hey," he says, his voice smooth and his eyes trained on mine. I pause, what do I reply with? A simple 'hello' would probably suffice but as I look into his eyes I hesitate. There's something cold about the way he's looking at me, like he's testing me. His smirk might be easy and his posture casual but his steely grey gaze is betraying his whole being.

"Do you, uh, do you speak?" He breaks out into a grin and turns to his friends who begin to snicker. I narrow my eyes at him as he faces me again. His smile falters, not out of nervousness but out of retaliation. Like he wants to make a comment but is restraining himself.

"No," I reply simply. Not much of a lie, basically the whole truth, actually. I don't speak much… why speak when no one listens?

"Such a shame," Mr Cold-Model pouts. He doesn't speak like a normal fifteen year old guy. In fact, now that I'm looking at him closely, there's something completely off about his appearance. "What's your name?"

I don't hesitate with my reply, if you're slow with your answer then they know you're lying, "Kylie."

There's a pause between us, he stares at me as if he's trying to suss me out. He's not smiling when he says, "I'm Cade and don't lie to me."

I swallow thickly at his change of tone. "I'm not."

He shifts his position and wets his lips, ready to speak. I brace myself for words that would undoubtedly catch me off guard but one of his friends pats his arm from behind and sends him a pointed look. Cade calms himself and closes his eyes for a brief moment, giving me enough time to slowly edge towards the end of my seat.

There's movement from the person sitting down in the seat to my right, they've shifted closer to the edge of their seat as well, I note. I've always been a paranoid person, my dad used to work for a government branch, something I was never told about. He died in the battlefield. My mother has done her best to raise me since then and as well as putting me in martial arts, she's taught me about being aware of your surroundings. This started six years ago.

So, to say I was a little concerned with the people in my train car was an understatement.

"I need to talk to you. About something that will change your life," Cade mutters, his voice low as his eyes sweep over the train car. "I work with Cobra, an organisation that your dad served in."

I freeze and recoil from Cade who was leaning atop the back of my seat. "What are you talking about?"

"Indianna, we know who you are. We want you to work with us, not against us," Cade whispered harshly. I stand up and move into the aisle, causing the man that's seated to my right to peer up at me. He has blue eyes and buzz cut blonde hair. He's hot, but not who I'm focusing on right now. I send the man a hard look and he looks back down to his phone with a shrug.

"You don't know anything," I snap at Cade. What's this idiot babbling on about? Cade stands to his feet and his friends follow behind him as he stalks toward me. I stand my ground watching as he approaches until we're chest to chest with me glaring up at him.

"Don't I?" Cade growls. "Leonard 'Tanker' Grym, supposedly K.I.A at age 39. Spouse: Kayleigh Grym. Child: Indianna Maiye Grym."

By this point my eyes are wide and my lips have parted in shock. Cade's mouth twists into a grin that would have made any girls knees weak, but to me he looked like a predator smiling at its prey.

"You could have gotten that from anywhere," I snap at him. I turn my back to him and exit the train that had come to a stop during our heated conversation. Everyone in the car gets out, all of them separating slightly. Though, they are all walking in the same direction that I am.

"Your father isn't dead," Cade calls out from behind me. "He's at Cobra."

I cease my movement, remaining dead still as my heart pounds. People walk past me, oblivious to the words Cade had just said. He was using my father as a way to blackmail into joining this organisation. I pivot around and stare at Cade, his expression was nothing but serious and if I didn't know how many times this kid can change his moods to suit him I would think he isn't lying. But I do know.

So, I walk up to him slowly, briefly seeing the man from inside the train watching me through my peripheral vision. Cade grins, and beckons me closer. I don't need any encouragement to do what I need to do, especially not from Cade. I'm within arm's length and that's when I stop moving, my left leg spaced out in front of my right, my feet pointed at a forty five degree angle. The perfect stance.

My right fist shoots forward and collides with his mouth and the tip of his nose. Cade grunts and his head snaps backwards. His friends rush forward immediately, not to see if he was okay, but to run after me. My eyes widen and I bolt, running with as much speed as I can muster. Unfortunately, that's not a lot- I'm not much of a runner.

My legs pump forward and my heart races as I don't even think of where I'm running, all I know is that I can't go home. I'm not letting them know where I live. I round corners and for a moment I think I've lost them, but their voices reach my ears.

I realise I have no idea where I am and I can't keep running for much longer. I don't exactly go for runs in my spare time, which would explain my slightly stocky build. I don't run from a fight, though this situation is an exception.

A gloved hand wraps around my arm and I scream, terror gripping at my heart as I'm pulled off into a narrow side alley I hadn't even noticed. The hand that had been used to reel me in was now covering my mouth, muffling my yells. I elbow the person in the stomach as hard as I can and groan as my elbow meets some sort of flexible protective armour, Kevlar maybe.

Nevertheless, the person must have felt it because he takes a step back and I scramble forward. I can't defend myself in such a narrow space, I need to get out into the open. But he pulls me back, his arm wrapped around my waistline, trapping my own arms in and the other hand is used to muffle my screams. As much as I squirm and kick backwards at his calves, he doesn't let go. I can't flip him off of me in a narrow alleyway, my defensive manoeuvres are rendered useless and the bastard knows that. My face is scratched due to the bricks that I was scraped against and I'm pretty sure my stomach is bruised due to his hold.

The people that had been chasing me had passed us long ago, it seems like the kidnapper is waiting for someone.

"Snake, it's alright you can let her go," someone calls from outside the alley.

"Man, are you sure he hasn't killed her? I mean, he doesn't exactly seem like someone who likes teens," another person says, by the way he talks and the sound of his voice he seems African American.

"Rip, shut up," the voice from before replies, though it's light hearted.

'Snake' lets go of my mouth and unwraps his arm from my body. Without a second to lose I bolt up the alley, scraping my arms along the wall in my exit. That's definitely gonna sting once the adrenaline wears off.

Once I exit that narrow death trap, my vision is clear. Unfortunately, the sight I'm met with isn't lovely. There was the man who was sitting on the train beside me and the girl who was at the back of the car supposedly talking on the phone. Apparently the red head was faking it, and there I was thinking she really was having a fight with her boyfriend. The guy that had thought 'Snake' killed me was standing beside the redhead, looking at me with an expression that I'm interpreting as 'whoa, wtf?'

"Damn! What's with all these crazy ninja people appearing out of nowhere?" Rip exclaims. I think that's what he's called. The guy from the train focuses his eyes over my shoulder and I turn to see who he was looking at.

A tall man clad in black body armour emerges from the shadowy alleyway. He's wearing a helmet with a black visor, so I can't see his face. There's a sword strapped to his back, guns attached to his hip and various gadgets alongside them.

I can't help but back up slightly, although I can't see his face I can almost sense the aura of unhappiness oozing out from this guy. The scariest part about him is his silence. He says nothing and although I'm not sure, I think he may be looking at me. _Glaring _at me more like it.

"See, even the new chick thinks he's creepy," Rip murmurs to the redhead.

"Snake's harmless," she replies. There's a silence between all of us and she quickly amends her mistake. "Okay, maybe he's the opposite of harmless but he's not going to hurt anyone except maybe you, Rip."

I look at them all, then to the clear escape route down the street. I'm not hanging around with these lunatics any longer. Snake steps towards me, sensing what I'm about to do. This triggers off my instincts and I bolt, running down the street. I'm turning sixteen in two months, I want to live to at least reach my sixteenth birthday.

"See! He scared the girl!" Rip exclaims, his voice echoing down the street. The only noise I can hear after that is my own footsteps and the person's behind me.

**So, end of chapter, I have heaps planned for this fanfic. Um review. If that's not to much to ask lol. **


	3. The Bombshell

**Thanks for the reviews!**

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I know I'm not a fast runner, but God had the decency to at least give me endurance. So, I've been running for at least twenty minutes, my sides are cramping up and I'm too scared to look behind me. They always say to never look over your shoulder when making your great escape. I would say they're right unless there's a bunch of army lunatics running after you, then you should probably look over your shoulder. I mean, there's the possibility I have someone right on my heels and when I turn they turn to look they could have a grab at me. Or I could have no one chasing after me and I just look like a psychotic school girl running from an invisible attacker. With my luck it's probably the latter.

I finally allow myself to slow down into a jog when I turn onto my street, at least if I scream people will come out to help. Unlike downtown where if you scream, people will come out of their houses to join in on the attack. Amazing, right? I can't hear any footsteps behind me so I look over my shoulder. There's no one there. I even wait, like, two minutes for someone to come around the corner but no one does. I wasn't even being chased. How embarrassing.

Trying to catch my breath, I attempt to open my front door but my hands are too sweaty so it's not really working. I wipe my hands on my pants and inhale deeply, listening to my racing heart. Should I tell my mom? How would she react? She probably wouldn't let me leave the house again! If I tell her about this then my freedom goes out the window. No, after everything my mom has done for me I need to at least tell her about this. And, who knows? Maybe she'll have some answers.

With this decided, I open the door. I wipe underneath my eyes and I look at my fingers. No black smudges, at least my eye makeup wasn't ruined. Yay, only good thing to happen all day. After being attacked, my makeup is still good- see? … I need a life.

"Mom?" I call, frowning when my voice cracks mid-sentence, ew. "Ahem, mom, I'm back." What is wrong with my voice?

I turn into the kitchen and smile when I see my mom making tea. She chuckles lightly, "what happened to your voice? You sound like a squeaky toy."

I roll my eyes and pluck an apple from the fruit bowl, leaning against the kitchen counter. "Ha, thanks for the vote of confidence, mom."

Mom turns and gives me a hug, commenting on my sweaty skin. I quickly crack a joke about getting some extra exercise. I won't tell her now, I think as I move into the living room. "You know, I think I'm getting a second serving of puberty."

"Maybe your body realised you had to mature some more and gave you a second dosage," Mom throws out her theory and I roll my eyes.

"Nothin' but love," I mutter. I enter the living room and I'm met with a horrific sight. The army lunatics from the street are sitting in my living room. Let me repeat that: the army lunatics from the street are SITTING in MY living room.

In MY living room!

And the stupid guy from the train was sitting in MY chair!

Is nothing sacred?!

"MOM!" I squeak. The intruders become aware of my presence and all stand up slowly, as if not to alarm me further. My hand touches the wall behind me, reaching for my baseball bat that I had left there this morning. Nothing. I even check and I find no metal baseball bat. The red head isn't here and as far as I can tell, neither is the freaky ninja guy.

The darker skinned man holds his hands up in a sign of surrender, "We come in peace. I swear."

I growl at him and turn quickly running to the kitchen, "Mom! Where's the knives!" I yelp as I open the drawers and find nothing but forks. I take one anyway.

"Packed away."

"Where's the rolling pin?" I cry, slightly hysterical.

"With me."

Why has she packed away everything? And why the hell is she so calm?

"There are people- IN OUR HOUSE! Where the frick's the broom stick?!"

My mom doesn't answer but continues to stir the cups of tea. So, being the intelligent being that I am, I check the broom cupboard and to my relief find the broom stick. Here I am, armed with a fork and a broom, ready to defend my family.

"Put them away and help me take the tea to our guests," mom says, like she's talking to a kid playing dress ups. I do kinda look ridiculous, I guess. But a fork and a broom is better than nothing. I glare at my mom and to my surprise she gives me a look. A look that says, 'trust me.'

And I trust her. I do. But maybe, just maybe, I'm questioning her sanity. Just a little. Like, a tiny smidge.

So, I shove the fork into my skirt pocket and the broom is tucked underneath my arm. I pick up two cups of tea while my mom holds three. My mom takes a forward and I stop her, I will go first. So, I walk into the living room and glare at the men, "one wrong move and I will burn your faces off."

"Suddenly, you've become talkative," Mom says, giving me a questioning look. I blush slightly when I realise she's right. I've never really talked this much before, I think as I set the tea down. I then realise we have one too many cups of tea. I'm not even gonna comment on that but I do give my Mom a pointed look as I seat myself on the furthest end of the couch, away from the guy on the train. Mom just raises an eyebrow and takes a sip of her tea. I don't touch mine, I feel like if I drink anything I'll throw up.

"Uh, Indianna. My name is Duke," the hot guy from the train states. I glare at him in response and he coughs awkwardly and looks at his companion.

"I'm Ripcord," the guy says. But then he adds, "but you can just call me Rip."

I nod and look at my Mom, the elephant in the room is growing fatter and I'm suffocating. "Do you, uh, wanna explain why I was attacked- twice- today?"

I'm waiting for my Mom's reaction but she doesn't seem fazed by my words. Has she lost it? Doesn't she care? Duke clears his throat and shifts his position to face me fully. "The first 'attack' was actually just a small and quick attempt to try and get you on the side of an evil organisation called Cobra… that was until you, uh, punched one of them."

"With good reason," I mutter. Duke nods and I wonder if he had hear what Cade said to me at the train station. Maybe that's why Duke understood my actions. "So what about the attack of the crazy, freaking ninja?"

Rip snickers and sends a pointed look towards Duke, "not just me."

"That's Snake Eyes," Duke tells me and I shiver at the creepy name. What's with all the snake references around here? Cobra and Snake Eyes? Yeugh, I hate snakes. "And he wasn't attacking you, he was saving you from the stampede of Cobra members."

I raise an eyebrow and look at the scratches, bruises and overall busted up appearance that I seem to have taken. Duke scratches his head as he too observes them and Rip winces. "With all due respect, that was actually the result of your resistance."

My eyes widen and I stand up angrily, "well, what did you want me to do? Let this masked man with weapons attached to his body pull me into a dark, narrow alley with his hand over my mouth and waist without saying a word to me? I'm sorry but if that's what your suggesting then you can go-" I stop myself there and inhale deeply. I am not going to lose my temper at this man. There is a silence before Duke speaks, his voice much less formal than before. Like he's just going to be himself and tell me straight out.

"I know where you're coming from, and I'm sorry that we had to jump you like that. We were vague, I know. You did what was expected and you were right to do it. Snake Eyes doesn't speak, so we should have informed you of what was going on when you came out of the alley," Duke says sincerely. I squirm in my seat a little, I really want to continue being mad but I know he's being genuine. So I soften my expression and nod.

"I probably should have waited to hear you out, sorry for blowing up on you," I say. Duke nods and gives me a small smile, a truce gesture. I return it but my expression then becomes serious, I really want some answers.

"G.I Joe is an elite special ops unit that the public doesn't generally know about. General Hawk selects the best of the best and offers them a place in the unit where we train to do missions no one else can do," Duke says, taking a sip from his cup. He then leans forward as he gets ready to tell me the bit where things get a bit crazy.

"There's an evil organisation called Cobra, their leader- Cobra Commander, is an arms leader who lives to cause destruction for his own gain. They're like the Joe's nemesis."

"About six months ago, Hawk came up with the Sparrow program. He selected a few kids as candidates and he planned to take them into G.I Joe and train them to be the elite among the elite. They were supposed to be the best. Cobra somehow got a hold of these files and liked the idea."

"The Commander got the kids first, he didn't take them unwillingly but he offered them things that made them agree. Only two of the sixteen candidates were not taken by Cobra. That's you and another girl. The Commander plans to use them, you all hold valuable skills. But he will experiment on them to create the perfect child soldiers and send them out as mutated kids to do his dirty work."

"The kids don't realise this. They think they're gonna get to go on spy missions after getting enhancements that give them powers. Then they think they are going to get paid ridiculous amounts of money. The Commander will insert a chip into their mind that will make them obey his every command. He can't start this progress without multiple tests on their abilities and research, though. He can't initiate anything for at least a year."

I let all this information sink into my mind. So Cade was trying to get me to join him. Cade was sucked into this and now his life was going to be destroyed. "What're you going to do? You have to help them, save them!"

Duke smiles at me, "I was hoping you would have that reaction. This is where you come in. You are the only chance these teens have. If you choose to save these kids' lives, then you will train with us at the Pit, initiating program Sparrow. Then you will be sent in undercover to get them out."

My jaw drops.

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**hehe that ending doe. Reviews!**

**(I've never read shocker so I apologise if this fanfic shows any similarities. I got this idea from too much caffeine and a movie night)**


	4. Mr Awkward Ninja

"You're insane," I say, shaking my head. These guys cannot expect me to work with some chick and be trained to go get myself killed for a bunch of greedy teenagers. I mean, now that this has been brought up, Cade was an asshat. Why should I risk my life for a bunch of idiots who chased me down a street and got themselves into this mess willingly. My conscience is telling me that I'm being selfish and that they have no idea what they really are getting themselves into. It's true, as much as I hate to admit it. But it's not fair at all. At least let me scout out the options. What happens if I don't agree?

"My options?" I ask, rubbing my face with my hands. I'm really tired, I just realised how exhausted I actually am. Maybe that caffeinated tear will help. I pick up the cup and bring it to my lips, taking a sip. It's lukewarm and the sugar has settled on the bottom of the cup. Disgusting.

Duke's lips twitch slightly at my responses. He leans forward and looks me in the eye, "You have no other choice than to come with us. We'll show you what we do and where we are. We'll brief you in fully and tell you exactly what you'd be doing. If you still don't want to save these kids' lives, then we wipe your memory and you can go home," Duke says. I stare at him.

I blink.

My mom blinks.

Duke blinks.

His buddy blinks.

I'm pretty sure the possessed photo of Mona Lisa in the corner blinked. Or maybe that was a wink.

The point is that we're all blinking due to the fact that I'm trying to decide whether I'm going to blow up or just calmly agree. I still don't know what to do, so I'm sitting here like a cow just watching everyone blink at me. Should I agree to this, I'm pretty sure I could just make a run for it. But what about my mom? She can handle herself, right? Ugh.

"Where to, how long and what do I need to bring?" I growl, rolling my shoulders. I feel like I should have taken the option of having a screaming fit. I'm going to leave school and all my self-defence classes. Duke laughs a little and Ripcord grins.

"Haha, alright," Rip says, his lips still stretched into a wide smile. "Well, we can't tell you the location. You know, trade secrets and stuff but you'll be with us for a week until you decide. Ninja man is gathering up what you need from your room and-"

I shoot to my feet which cuts Ripcord off. The extra cup of tea makes sense now, the freaking ninja guy is in the house. Plus, he's in my room, getting my clothes. Why isn't the freaking red head doing it?

I run past the guests and up the stairs, my footsteps quiet until I reach my bedroom door which is conveniently closed. Sure enough, I can hear something rustling around in my room. He's in there. I grip the weapon in my back pocket and wrench the door open and turn on the light. The ninja is in position in less than a second, in a defensive crouch with his hand on the handle of the blade strapped to his back. I realise I'm pointing a fork at him while in my own stance. There's an awkward silence between us and he straightens up after assessing the situation. His hand slips away from his blade handle but he keeps his fists balled by his sides. A precaution.

In one of his fists I can see the silver dog tag glinting in the light. My eyes water and I glare at the ninja who seems to have noticed my point of attention. He lifts up the dog tag slightly and I leap forward, snatching it out of his grasp.

It's my dad's tag, it was given to me when he died. And I'm not going to lose it, but I don't want to look at it either. I've gotten on just fine so far without my dad. I don't need to be reminded of what was and what could've been. I remember only a little bit about him and I'm thankful for that. Not knowing him is a lot better than being extremely close with him, sharing many memories and then having him die on you.

The ninja is watching me, so I refrain from allowing the tears to spill and I push past him, putting the tag back into the drawer from where he had found it. He doesn't intend to leave, which surprises me. I look at my bed which has a couple of pairs of shoes inside a massive suitcase I had bought last year. There's a few other things that he had put in there but not much. It seems he was hesitant to go through my draws, either that or he was too busy snooping around. Apparently it was the latter because the dog tag was in a draw in the back of my closet. A hidden draw. It appears he's been sneaking around.

I look to see what else he's been through in my room but he hasn't left any traces. Why would he? He's a freaking ninja. I turn to face him and look at his visor, briefly wondering whether there really is a man underneath the helmet.

"Don't snoop," I murmur, dropping my gaze. How do you speak to a man who can't speak back? I open my draw full of jeans and look at him expectantly. "What do I need?"

The man tilts his head and looks towards the draw. He examines the clothing and rocks backwards on his heels slightly, turning to look at me. I'm pretty sure he's trying to figure out how to tell me something. I know sign language, my grandmother was deaf before she died last year and we were there a lot. I wanna tell him but maybe he's not trying to tell me something and he just simply feels awkward. He picks up a pair of black jeans and shakes his head. I narrow my eyes. Okay, so no jeans.

He pats his leg and crouches before lifting himself up and throwing slow punches into the air and continues to shuffle around a bit. I need to wear something that's easy to move around in. I nod, to show that I got his message. "I know sign language."

He ceases his movements and his head tilts in a way of saying, 'you could have told me that before.'

I open my drawer full of my martial art uniforms and workout clothes which just consist of cargo pants and baggy stuff, they're easy to move in and I don't feel conscious. He peers into the drawer and seems a bit surprised, he looks at me with what is most likely a questioning look.

"The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club," I mutter.

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**The awkwardness is strong in this one, *points to Indianna.***


	5. Once Upon A Time

**Hehe, quick update.**

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"I think we're done," I sigh, staring at my gigantic suitcase. How the hell am I supposed to take that down the staircase? Maybe I should just sit on it and slide down the stairs. Actually, the real question is: how the hell am I supposed to zip the bag shut. I look at freaky ninja man awkwardly, does he want to do it? Because I sure as hell can't. I point at the suitcase, "you, uh, wanna sit on it?"

There's a pause and he just turns his head slowly, his visor facing me fully now. More like he's towering over me and he just turns his gaze downward. I cough and realise how weird I sounded, "you're hopefully the one who weighs more, so sit on it and I can zip it up."

He lifts his head up and stares at the bag some more. What the hell is he waiting for? He's such a freaking weirdo and I have no idea how to communicate with him. I told him I know sign language and he hasn't once tried to talk to me using it. We've been in my room for a freaking hour. I don't get it.

He still makes no move towards the suitcase and I exhale in exasperation, he's really getting on my nerves. I make for the bed, taking off my shoes and plopping myself on the bag. My weigh pushes it downwards significantly (how embarrassing) but it's going to be really hard to zip it up. It still isn't closed enough. Ninja boy is still just staring at me and the suitcase so I glare at him. He's helpful, isn't he? The friendly neighbourhood ninja. When he still makes no move to aid me in my mission, I snap at him, "either help, or leave."

I half expect him to walk out the door and not come back, but instead my words must have stimulated his brain and he moves forward. Instead of zipping up the bag, he grabs my arm and pulls me off of the bag, simply pushing the bag down and zipping it up all expert-like. I land awkwardly on the bed and my head hits the headboard. Which is metal. I let out a squeak of pain as the metal vibrates from the collision. The ninja pauses and looks at me, I hiss as my fingers touch the back of my head gingerly. "Tell me to move next time," my voice cracks and I stand up off the bed, stalking off to the other side of the room. I walk into the bathroom and close the door behind me.

I want to cry. Not from the potential concussion I just received due to the asshat ninja, but just the stuff that's happening right now. This whole situation seems so surreal. Maybe this is just another one of my nightmares; but this one doesn't have me waking up in bed screaming and shaking violently. I'll cry later, right now I want to get my freaking bag and get the hell away from the psycho guy. I'll convert my emotional chick feelings into anger and I'll be set to go.

I inhale and swing the door open, a glare set on my face. My eyes widen when I see Ripcord with his fist raised to the door, ready to knock. He's taken aback from my expression so it takes him a while to string a sentence together in his mind and even longer to speak. "Uh, we're going…"

I simply nod and push past him and to my room. I open the door but the ninja and my suitcase are no longer in there. Good, I hope that asshole carried it down the stairs by himself and got arthritis. I ignore Ripcord as he tries to say something to me and walk down the stairs and into the living area. Duke and my mom are talking, standing near the exit. I walk towards them and Duke cuts off mid-sentence and looks at me, "You ready?"

I inhale and look at my mom who gives me a reassuring smile. "I trust these people, you'll be safe with them."

I swallow and pull her into a hug, tears welling in my eyes. "I'll see you in a week."

She pulls back, her hands on my shoulders and eyes piercing my own, "I hope not."

She wants me to train with them and save the others. Surely I can visit her often, I mean their base can't be that far away. Who'll be protecting my mom? Surely, if Cobra wants me then my mom has to be protected. I look at Duke as he leads me out of my own home. Thank you, I don't know the way out.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and instead open my mouth to speak. Duke beat me to it, apparently already knowing what I was going to say. "You're mom will be relocated to a place where she'll be protected and under constant supervision. In order for this plan to work, Cobra has to think you've run away to escape them. So when they "find" you when the experiments are ready, you'll be ready as well."

"Confident that I'll agree?" I ask, curious for his answer. There's no hesitation when he responds with an "absolutely."

I want to ask how he is so sure. I want to ask if this plan will even work, but I know not to. I'll find answers on my own, I have a way of doing so. We enter the truck and I assume we're being driven to the location of the base. I would wait and see where we are going, but I want to be able to prepare myself for the possibility of a very long drive. What if it's not even a drive? "Whereabouts are we going?" I question, eyeing the ninja in the back corner warily. The lump on the back of my head pulses in pain at the mere sight of the swift bastard.

Duke grins, his eyes almost laughing at the apparent irony of my question, "far, far away."

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**In a far away land there lived the Joes. This is why we don't go on vacations kids. **

**I have a transformers fanfic btw. Check that out. **


	6. So Fly Like A G6

**Chicky chicky chick chick. Er meh gerd I'm so bored. **

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So, Duke wasn't kidding. Like, he really wasn't joking when he said that the base was really far. It was a four hour drive to get to this stupid airbase and I don't even know where we really are. I was too busy glaring at the ninja and trying not to laugh at Ripcord and Duke's conversations. They'd obviously known each other for a while if they were that comfortable with one another. I wish I had a friendship like that. I'm not the most social person so being at school has been an extremely awkward part of my life. You know that really weird person in your class that doesn't really talk but just creepily stares at everyone? Yeah? Well, I'm ashamed to say that's me. I mean, sometimes I talk to humans but not often.

I've gotten along with Duke and Ripcord really well, more so Ripcord. Duke's a little harder to get to know but then again so am I. We're trying to get to know each other and I think we've come to a mutual understanding. Rip's easy to talk to; in fact, I've found that when I'm having a conversation with him I actually talk in full sentences. The drive was a really good bonding experience between the three of us and I enjoyed Ripcord's comments about the ninja. He shares the same views on him as I do.

Anyway, as much as the drive was good, I don't want to get back in that stupid truck. Like, for at least a month.

Okay, I've kind of gotten off track. So we're at the airbase right now and I'm watching all the soldiers (who I assume are Joe's) boarding jets, planes, helicopters and all other types of army air transportation. Now, I'm just going to say that I really hope that the 'Pit' is around here somewhere because I'm not getting back into the car.

"Hey, Rip?" I wait for him to finish a conversation before I call him. He turns and smiles.

"Yo."

"What're we doing here?" I ask, watching a helicopter lift up off the helipad. Rip looks around as if it were obvious.

"We're catching an air ride to the base," Rip responds. "Hey, where's Duke?"

My face pales and I take a step back. No, no way in hell am I getting on a plane. Do you know how many things can go wrong in air transportation? Plus, it's a freaking military planes and stuff. Those have a tendency to get SHOT OUT OF THE SKY! Nuh-uh. Nope. Absolutely not.

I don't have a fear of heights, got no problem with going sky diving but there isn't any way you can get me to travel in the air. I've got some sort of plane-o-phobia.

"Grym?" Duke calls from behind me. His voice sounds kind of strained and I turn around to see him holding my bag over his shoulder. I wince as his face is kind of red, "did you pack bricks in this thing?"

I pull my shoulders up in a half shrug and send him an apologetic look. Someone snickers from behind me and I turn to see Ripcord wearing a smug grin. "Do you even lift?"

I almost giggle at that one. Almost. Duke sends Rip a flat look, he's not amused. The ninja strolls up behind Duke and lays a hand on his free shoulder. He frees Duke from his burden and carries my luggage with ease, walking to the jet a couple of hundred metres away from us.

"See that?" Ripcord points at the Snake Eyes' retreating form and raises an eyebrow at Duke, "freaky Zen master lifts."

"Rip, shut up," Duke mutters, wiping the sweat from his forehead. I laugh quietly at Duke's response and help them unload the truck into the jet.

"So," I begin, as I lift up a gun awkwardly and hand it to Rip, "how're we getting to base?"

"I told you before," Rip shrugs, passing the gun to Duke who threw it to the ninja. "Jet."

"Oh," I say, nodding while I swallow thickly. Oh God. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. What the hell am I supposed to do, exactly? Do I tell them that I have a fear of flying? Ugh, I have no idea. You know what? I'm not going to say anything. I'm going to suck it up and get on the goddamn jet.

"What's eating at you?" Duke asks, putting his hand on my shoulder. I immediately shrug it off, just play it cool and say nothing is wrong. He won't suspect a thing.

"Nothing," I squeak. I… squeaked. I freaking sque- oh my God, that's embarrassing. Duke raises an eyebrow and straightens to his full height, this intimidates me… a lot. Not that I'll admit it out loud or anything.

"You sure?" He leans forward and I awkwardly turn away, continuing to unload my stuff. So when it comes to the male department I am ridiculously awkward. In school, I can't even talk to a guy without stuttering over and over. I mean, a guy accidently touched my hand once and I jumped away from him like I'd been electrocuted. So yeah, my love life is a failure. So, in result, I am extremely uncomfortable around ALL men. Except Rip, but I'm not sure he counts as a 'man'.

"Seriously, I'm good," I lift the right corner of my lips and hope that is accepted as a smile. Duke inhales lightly and grabs a box of goods.

"Yeah, okay. That's cool, you know. It's not like you're afraid or anything," Duke muses, placing the box in the jet cargo hold. He shuts the door and locks it, turning to face me with a mischievous smile on his face. "It's boarding time."

I blanch and back away from the jet entrance, "uh, you sure?"

Duke nods, "yup. Time to get in and buckle up. It's a twelve hour flight. We'll stop off for fuel in eight hours."

Ripcord passes me and boards, going to meet the pilots. Snake Eyes stands beside me which has me glancing up at him awkwardly. What's his issue? "Right now?"

"Mhm," Duke nods, leaning against the entrance. "We can't be here any longer, so if you have something you want to say then spill it."

I sigh and use that opportunity to waddle to the side, away from the ninja. He turned to face me, silent as usual. "I'm afraid of long distance air travel."

Duke's eyebrows shoot to his forehead and he swallows, "why?"

I send him a blank look, "multiple military planes get shot down a week. Jets get targeted even more often. What if we get hijacked or the pilot falls asleep and the co-pilot sleeps as well? That stuff has happened before."

"Hey, chica," I look behind Duke to see who's addressing me. My eyes widen when I see a guy no older than nineteen dressed in Joe uniform, "that stuff doesn't happen with me piloting the plane."

He shoots me a charming grin and my cheeks turn red. I cough and look away, oh God. Did they hire models to be Joe's or something because everyone seems to be decent looking all of a sudden. Especially this guy.

"Who are you?" Duke looks at the guy, seeming to be half amused and half irritated. The boy shrugs and rubs his neck.

"The name's Jayden. My friends call me Jay. The Joe's call me Jetfuel," Jetfuel responds proudly. I realise he's chewing gum when he looks straight at me, blows a bubble and bites down, popping it with his teeth. Er meh gerd, I hate female hormones.

"Well, he does smell like jet fuel," Ripcord rolls his eyes from behind the pilot.

"Only the best pilot in the world smells like this and that's me," Jetfuel responds, pointing to himself proudly. His green eyes glint brightly in the light while his brown hair moves with his swaying action.

Suddenly this turned into a hair commercial.

"What?" Ripcord exclaims, forcing the young pilot down the steps and onto runway floor in front of me and Snake. "Rookie, I'm the best pilot there is."

Jetfuel moves forward, accepting Ripcord's silent challenge. Well that's awkward considering Ripcord was only kidding around with the other pilot. The testosterone is killing me. "Oh yeah?" Jetfuel pokes Ripcord in the chest a little too roughly to be friendly. "Then why aren't you doing my job and flying this jet?"

Ripcord grits his teeth and forces himself not to respond physically and instead says, "because I got promoted from being the chauffeur a long time ago."

I raise an eyebrow, that was a good one. I need to use that sometime. Jetfuel apparently doesn't have a comeback for that one as he keeps his mouth shut. But he does take a threatening step forward in which Snake Eyes has to move in between them and stare at Jetfuel long enough for him to get the drift, _don't try it. _

The younger pilot retreats back into the jet and prepares for take-off, leaving the rest of us staring awkwardly at each other. Maybe that was just me.

Duke blinks a few times, regathering his wits. "So, uh, if that's proved anything then it's proved that you have three highly skilled pilots on board as well as myself and Snake Eyes," he points at the plane, "so, you'll be fine. I promise."

I wince, "never make promises."

Dad promised a lot of things. Like the promise that he was going to come home. He didn't keep that one. Ugh, now I'm getting all angst-y.

After Duke encourages me to get onto the jet some more, the ninja decides to move the pace along and places a hand on my shoulder. This immediately causes the desirable reaction in which I jump away from his touch and scramble into the plane. I think I hear Ripcord laughing from behind me but I don't stop moving until I'm seated and buckled into one of the seats. I keep my eyes squeezed shut so I don't need to see us taking off. That's the freakiest part of the whole jet ride thing. Someone sits next to me but I don't open my eyes to face them because the jet roars to life and begins to move.

I pop open an eye and peek out the window, watching as the earth shrinks beneath us. It's a beautiful sight, it truly is. I locate my house and grin at the sight of it. If I thought it was small when I was living in it then I should have seen it from an aerial point of view.

I spot my school before the jet shakes suddenly. I inhale sharply and grip the nearest thing, a hand. Someone else's hand but I don't really care. The plane jolts and tilts side to side dangerously causing me to grip the person's hand like it's my lifeline. I'm immediately comforted when the person squeezes my hand lightly, as if reassuring me silently. By this point I've got a pretty good idea of who's sitting next to me but I can't bring myself to let go of his hand.

The shaking finally stops and Jetfuel's voice reaches my ears through the speakers. "Sorry, folks. Just experienced a little turbulence, nothing to worry about. "

I exhale and look to my right, eyeing the ninja warily. He's not looking at me, instead he's staring straight ahead. At least, I think he is. I think he gets the gist that I'm looking at him so he turns to face me. I slowly pull my hand out of his and give him an appreciative nod. A thank you.

"Thanks," I murmur, a small smile creeping onto my lips. He nods and leans back suddenly as if he was really, really tired. I'm about to turn away before he sits back up again and turns his upper body to face me. I raise an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

He shifts slightly and his hand reaches up and touches the back of my head. I'm about to move away before I feel a sharp pain shoot through my skull and I hiss. He was feeling for that stupid bump that he gave me. His fingers sweep over the bump gingerly and I nod, telling him that he's touching it.

He pulls away and leans back into his seat. He tilts his head and inhales.

**'****I'm sorry,'** he signals to me. My eyes widen and I lean backwards. He's finally communicating. What took him so long?

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it," I shrug. "Thank you."

He pauses before responding hesitantly, **'for what?'**

"For talking to me."

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**what's that? Was that... bonding? er meh gerd!**


	7. The Ice Queen

Night has fallen and the air has gotten crispier, causing me to shiver slightly. The ninja had left the seat an hour after our brief conversation, going to meditate in the back of the plane. I sit up in my seat, peering over the chairs curiously. Duke's sitting in a seat facing my way, greatly amused by something down the aisle. I narrow my eyes, where's Ripcord? Either he's gone to annoy the crap out of Jetfuel and possibly get us killed or he's pissing off the ninja?  
>Is it even possible to annoy Snake Eyes? I pause, taking back my question. I was able to do so the first time we met. And the second time he gave me a big lump on my head so I must have done something wrong there as well.<p>

I turn in my chair and my eyes widen at the situation before me.

Oh. This is going to be good.

Ripcord sends Duke a wary glance but Duke just grins and beckons him forward, mouthing a mischievous '_go on'. _I wince as Rip takes another step towards Snake, his arm outstretched towards the meditating ninja. I almost giggle when Ripcord hesitates and looks back up at us, shaking his head. He's smart, who knows what would happen if someone were to bring a ninja out of his meditation by poking him.

Ripcord shrugs at Duke who deflates with disappointment. When Rip turns to face me, I roll my eyes. He raises an eyebrow and gives me a questioning look. Maybe if I provoke Rip he'll accidently step too close to Snake Eyes and we'd be able to see what happens.

So, with this hope in mind, I narrow my eyes and say, "wimp."

He glares at me and stands up straight, taking a few steps away from the ninja, crossing his arms. "No, it's called self-preservation. Have you seen this guy in action?"

I give Ripcord a flat look as I think back to our first encounter. "Unfortunately. But you're still a wimp."

The pilot narrowed his eyes and shifted his weight onto his right leg, looking like a sassy teenage girl from some chick flick. I almost laugh at the image but refrain from allowing my amusement to show on my face. Ripcord's eyes light up, as if he got an idea.

"If you do it, I'll do it," Ripcord grins and I'm taken aback. Oh, hell no. I'm not going near that ninja if I don't know what he's going to do. How stupid would I be if I just went up to him and poked him in the side? The only person idiotically brave enough to do that would be Ripcord.

I shake my head at Ripcord, trying to think of a response. "What are we? Twelve?"

"You're not far off," Ripcord replies, snappily.

"I'm turning sixteen next week," I retort, pulling myself out of my chair and standing to face him in the aisle, my arms crossed. What's he trying to say? I'm extremely mature for my age and I bet I could beat him in a fight. No, I can't fly a plane, I can barely get in one. But that doesn't give him an advantage here.

"Ooh, so you're a mature young lady, huh?" Ripcord says, his voice almost mocking. He's planning something but I'm not sure what.

"Obviously more mature than you," I sass, rolling my eyes and pursing my lips. I hear Duke chuckle from behind me and I get the feeling that he agrees with me on that one. Ripcord sighs.

"Well, prove it," he says, gesturing towards the meditating martial artist. I take a step forward, considering what Rip's saying. I wince, remembering the bump on the back of my head. Maybe not.

"I'm not poking him," I say, putting my foot down. There is no way that Ripcord can persuade me to poke the ninja. It's like asking to be seriously injured. Rip's eyes cloud over thoughtfully, trying to find something else for me to do. When he responds, I raise an eyebrow and my expression softens.

"You don't need to. Just wave your hand in front of his face. He's probably sleeping," he shrugs. Just to get him to shut up about my age I'll go do this. I'm not actually touching the ninja, right? What's the worst that could happen?

So, with this in mind, I walk towards him and stand next to Rip. He gestures towards the ninja and I sigh, please let nothing happen. I crouch down next to Snake Eyes and I don't see any movement from him that would tell me he knows I'm here. Maybe he really is asleep. I slowly put my hand out in front of his visor, wincing.

Nothing.

Not even a twitch.

My eyes open fully with surprise. You'd think he would have been able to sense me here. Maybe he isn't as good as I thought he was. I mean, I know if someone sets foot into my room while I'm _asleep_. How does he not know I'm here. Ripcord taps my shoulder, a silent encouragement to actually wave my hand. I realise I haven't done the full job yet.

This should be a breeze. If he hasn't noticed me so far then he shouldn't wake up now. I wave my arm up and down quickly, immediately taking note of Ripcord tensing up behind me. Why's he worrying? The ninja's completely out of it.

Snake Eye's hand shoots up with unbelievable speed, gripping my wrist and pulling me forward so that I'm face to face with him. If I leaned forward a couple of centimetres, my forehead would probably hit the visor. My heart leaps in terror and I gasp involuntarily. Crap, this is going to hurt. I squeeze my eyes shut, barely noticing his grip loosen fractionally. There's a silence between us all before I allow my eyes to open into a wary squint. The ninja's head tilts to the side and he raises his free hand. I try to lean back but I can't really move. I keep getting into trouble with this guy, he wouldn't hit me though. Would he?

His hand curls into a fist but his pointer finger remains up, as if scolding me silently. My eyes widen, he's reprimanding me? What the hell? I yank my hand out of his grip and scramble to my feet, towering over him for a few seconds. I feel powerful for a brief moment, superior and dominant.

But then he stands up and I shrink back into myself without meaning to. He's 6'2 and I'm only 5'3, I don't really stand much of a chance against him. He seems to inhale deeply and I turn to look at Ripcord who stands there looking bewildered.

"What? How come you didn't flip her over when she did it?" Ripcord exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air as if he'd been ripped off. He's done this before? He told me to do it, thinking that I'd get thrown over the ninja's shoulder? Oh my God, remind me to never trust Rip with stuff like this… EVER.

In response, the ninja shifts his weight onto his left leg and lays his hand flat out and palm facing the ground. He lowers his hand to my height and gestures at my figure, pushing his hand downwards again for emphasis. He didn't do it because I'm just a small kid.

A child.

Suddenly, my mood turns sour.

"Because I'm a little kid, that's why," I snap, replying to Ripcord's confused expression. Obviously he's not very good with signals and speaking silently. I cross my arms over my chest and set my face into a blank expression, pushing back the anger surging within my being. Coming out of my shell had been a mistake, there's no way I'm going to do it again if I'm just going to be seen as some stupid, angsty teen. Snake looks at me, seemingly alarmed. He shakes his head slowly as if denying what he had said. I shrug, pretending to brush off his previous implication but I know he doesn't believe it one bit.

I turn on my heel and stalk up the aisle, all the while keeping my mouth shut and trying to prevent my whole face from going red. I shouldn't have come. Why would they bring me here if they were just going to be so patronising. Maybe this is just a stupidly messed up joke.

I feel a hand land on my shoulder and I immediately know who it is. I stop for a brief moment but then brush off his hand, returning to my seat and glaring coldly out my window. I hear Ripcord let out a low whistle, "Damn ninja boy, you just got the cold shoulder. You ain't no match for ice queen mode."

I kind of like it when people underestimate me.

It allows me the chance to laugh at the stupid look on their faces when I'm done with them.

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**She's pissed. Review and take cover!**


	8. Nightmare

**Yeah, this chapter is rushed and blotchy. Sorry. **

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It's been a couple of hours since the incident with Snake Eyes and I have refused to speak to anyone since. Ripcord and Duke had pulled out a pack of cards a while back and played games that I've never played before. They asked if I wanted to play in which I simply declined with a polite shake of my head. The two finished playing cards about half an hour ago and Duke's now deep in slumber, his head tilted back and him mouth parted. Soft snores escape his lips and we all try to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to wake him up. He makes sleep look so enticing, and it really is. I want to sleep, I do, but I can't.

Maybe I should explore a bit, check out what's in that back room.

Ripcord's kind of just hanging around the place, mumbling about how the only two awake just happen to be the only two in the jet that are anti-social and choose not to speak. I want to smile at his words, maybe even giggle like one of those girls from school. But I can't risk coming back out of my shell just to be put down again. I'm a really sensitive person to a certain point and if there's one thing that hurts me and pisses me off at the same time is being treated like a nine year old. I'm turning sixteen in a couple of months for God's sakes, at least give me a little bit of… I don't know, something. Treat me like everyone else, I guess.

The ninja has tried to get my attention a couple of times after the incident, but thankfully all of his hints had been subtle and easy to ignore. I think he's just given up and I'm happy that I won't need to feel my chest tightening whenever he stares at me for a long time, hoping that I turn to look at him. I don't want his explanation. I don't want anything to do with him because all he's done ever since I met him is cause me trouble. I don't think that I've done him any favours either so I'm sure we're mutual in that sense. I just don't understand why he made any effort in the first place because it's clear he doesn't like me very much which is kind of understandable.

He's sitting nearby, in the aisle opposite to me and a couple of seats back. He's clever, he can keep an eye out on me but I can't look at him without making it obvious and making eye contact. Well, I'll assume its eye contact because I can't really tell. Anyway, I don't plan on turning around but things are beginning to get really peaceful and Rip has shut up now.

This means I'll fall asleep soon. I can't do that, though. Not on this jet with others boarded, I'll have my night terrors and end up waking everyone up and drawing unwanted attention to myself. The last thing I want is for people to start talking and then the next thing you know I'm sent to a psychologist who asks too many questions.

But maybe I'm just paranoid.

Even as these thoughts flow through my head I can feel my eyes pull downwards. I try to fight them and I kind of look like some weirdo who keeps jolting in her seat every time her eyes nearly shut. It's a losing battle and I can feel the familiar sense of dread rush over me as I fall prey to sleep's deceptively welcoming embrace. It's dark, it's peaceful and it's relaxing. My body's finally gone into its recharge cycle and my mind is blank at first. God, this is the best part of falling asleep, everything is just so silent and comfortable. But that's always how it starts out, right?

Then it all goes downhill like a rollercoaster reaching the highest point in the ride and then flying downwards in a nearly unstoppable descent.

The darkness in mind becomes cloudy and shadows begin to creep in. And then I'm there. I appear right in the middle of it and I lose grasp of my awareness and no longer realise I'm asleep, this is all too real. I'm in the jet again, still in my seat and I rub my eyes, sitting upwards. Something is wrong, there is no noise coming from anyone, Duke isn't snoring and Ripcord isn't making a peep. Even the noise from the jet's engines are dulled down into a faint buzzing noise. I kind of feel like I'm dreaming, holding onto my grasp on reality by a thread but I'm losing the sense of reality and I'm not sure what's real anymore.

I focus on the plane, when I find out what's wrong maybe this confusion and disorientation will end. Everything's pretty dark but somehow I can still see everything okay. There are figures seated in a couple scattered seats, not in the same aisle. I walk to the figure closest to me and recognise it as Ripcord, my heart slows down with relief. Thank goodness, I'll just wake him up and ask him where the medicine is so I can fix this killer headache that's coming on.

When my hands make contact with his shoulder, I recoil immediately, my fingers stained with dark, sticky substance. Blood. My eyes widen and I look closer at Ripcord's features, realising with horror that he's covered with his own blood. He's not sleeping… he's dead. A whimper escapes my lips and I don't know what to do.

My eyes move down from his emotionless face to his neck and I can't help the scream that rips from my throat. His neck's been mutilated, someone has absolutely ripped it apart, the only thing holding Rip's head on his shoulders is the bone that I can distinctly identify from beneath his hanging flesh.

"Snake!" I shriek, my voice cracking. I can't bring myself to look away from the carcass before me, bloodied and torn. Snake Eyes will know what to do, Snake Eyes has to know what to do. "Snake Eyes!" I call again, tears leaking down my cheeks and splattering on the ground. My heart's pounding too fast for me to even attempt to fathom and I'm trying to regather my bearings. The ninja hasn't answered my calls yet so maybe he's dealing with something else, but what the hell could it be?

I remember the other person in the seat further up the aisle, near the cockpit and I scramble towards them. Maybe if I just wake them up, they can help me and Ripcord. Oh God, Ripcord. My eyes are set only on the person as I finally reach them after a sprint that seemed to have taken forever to run. I realise it's Duke and I immediately throw myself onto him, shaking his shoulders and screaming in his ears, "please, wake up! You have to help him! You have to help me! Please!"

But Duke doesn't respond at all, he just flops around limply at my attempt of waking him up. There's no blood on him so he can't be dead like Ripcord, right? I calm myself down enough to scout his body for any wounds that could have knocked him unconscious or….

There's no blood, though. No bruises. His lips and hands are blue and swollen and I know that there's something really wrong with him. I reach my hand to his neck, putting my fingers against it to feel for a pulse, nothing. There's no pulse. By this point, I know he's dead but I try not to think about what that could mean for everyone else. I listen for a heartbeat but there's only silence and I'm met with cold skin.

"Duke!" I shriek, my chest constricting to a point where I can no longer breath. I try to inhale but it only comes in as a ragged gasp and I'm choking on my own tears. I peer into the cockpit, already knowing what I'm going to find. And I am met with the same result of the others, Jetfuel's head is leaning against the steering and the plane had been slowly descending to the earth this entire time. His co-pilot is simply torn apart, limb by limb and the cockpit reeks of death. I gag and fall backwards, pushing myself away from the cockpit on my hands and using my legs to help. I'm lost, I have no idea what to do. Where's Snake Eyes?

There's a noise from behind me and I turn around, my face swollen, red and teary as I look through blurred vision at the man before me. He's come out of that back room and his eyes are wide as he stares at me, bewildered. He's fit and his face has aged a little, his eyes are eerily familiar, someone from my childhood. "Indianna," the man whispers and I gurgle as I realise who he is. My father.

I want to hug him, I want to cry in his arms but I can't bring myself to move. I'm paralysed as I stare at him, fear coursing through my being and my eyes stinging with tears. The man makes no move towards me but just watches me with an open mouth, "I didn't know you were on this plane…" he says, suddenly distraught. Dad looks at the knife in his left hand, it's bloodied and has bits of torn flesh clinging to it. My breath leaves me as I remember Ripcord's wound, the image stained in my mind. My dad killed Ripcord.

"Only one parachute," my Dad mutters, his eyes moving to gaze at the backpack looking thing in his hand. I stare, waiting for his next move. Does Mom know that he's alive? Has she been keeping this from me this whole time? Will my Dad kill me too? Instead, Dad's eyes water and his face turns red. Before I realise what's happening, he's sobbing loudly, his bloody hands shaking. "Indianna, what do I do?"

I don't really think it's hard. Give me the parachute. Isn't that what a parent's supposed to do in a situation like this. Not that I want him to give me the chute but I don't exactly want to die either. Besides, he killed Ripcord, Duke, Jetfuel and the co-pilot. I don't know where the hell Snake Eyes is and I don't believe for one minute that my Dad killed him.

I pull myself to my feet and Dad watches me carefully through watery eyes. I don't know if he'll just lunge at me and I honestly don't have the strength or the will power to fight back but he doesn't move, only stares. "We'll look for another chute."

Dad's eyes widen and he looks at me in bewilderment. "I don't think there's any others."

"Well let's look anyway," I say, my voice wavering as I gesture for him to go first. This is my Dad. Surely there has to be a reason for him to have killed the Joes. Maybe they are the bad guys and they're just making out Cobra to be evil. But Ripcord… he wasn't evil. I know he wasn't.

I open the emergency cabinet and see nothing but mothballs. Literally, there's mothballs on the floor. What the f*ck? "Um, maybe we can check the back room?"

I expect my dad to reply but there's nothing. No words escape his lips and reaches my ears and I immediately know something's wrong. How? I don't know. I turn around and my eyes widen at the sight of Snake Eyes holding my dad by the throat from behind. My dad's face is a furious shade of purple as he slaps Snake's lethal arms in an attempt to get him to back off.

"Snake! Stop! That's my dad!" I scream at him, trying to figure out what to do. I run at the ninja head on and tackle him to the floor. His grip releases on my father and Snake hits the ground harder than I expect. I quickly stand up and Snake Eyes stands to his feet and I shrink back. He looks livid. His chest is heaving up and down with heavy breaths and his fists are balled at his sides. He glares down at me and I slowly inch away, "Snake Eyes, just let him explain. I don't- eurgh!" Snake doesn't let me finish and plants a foot into my stomach, knocking me backwards into my father. He falls and I push myself upwards quickly, restraining the urge to throw up.

"Snake Eyes, please don't do this!" I shout, hiccupping as I feel bile rising up my throat. I swallow it down and wince as it burns my windpipe. But the ninja is too far gone to listen to me, his friends are dead, his teammates are dead. But, I haven't done anything, why would he attack me? All I know is that I fear him now more than I ever did previously. He takes a threatening step forward and I shriek as his fist swings towards my face. I duck and I realise my mistake. He knew I would dodge the attack and he had positioned it to hit my dad who is standing behind me.

The strike makes impact with my dad's jaw and he grunts as he takes the blow. He doesn't fall, surprisingly and I think this irks the ninja because he tries to go in again to put him down… permanently. I jump upwards and perform a kick to his lower stomach, slowing Snake down. "Snake Eyes, please. Just stop for a second!"

He stops moving and there's silence between us. For a second I think maybe he's stopped to listen to reason and try and understand what's going on. I exhale in relief and relax my stance, taking a calm step towards him. I open my mouth to speak but I freeze as he pulls the katana out from its sheath and gets into a fighting stance. "No," I whisper, "no, I don't want to fight."

He gestures for me to move out of the way and I shake my head, "no! You will not kill my father!"

He strikes.

The sword pierces through my abdomen and I screech in agony. It's buried to the hilt and I feel a pressure on the point of the sword and I realise that Snake had stabbed through me to get to my dad. His visor is a centimetre in front of my face and tears leak from my eyes as I sob, leaning my head against his. We stay like this for a while, the blade in my stomach spreading pain like a liquid fire throughout my body. My dad pulls himself off the blade and staggers to the door to exit the plane. I gasp, blood dribbling from my mouth, expecting Snake Eyes to move and attack my father now that I'm no longer in the way. But he doesn't, he doesn't even turn his head to watch my dad attempt to put on his parachute.

Instead, Snake's body begins to shake and he pulls back, staring at the damage he's done. He's awakened from his fit of rage and realised what he's done. Slowly, he reaches for the handle and tugs on it, earning a scream of agony to rip from my throat at the movement.

"Blow it up," I hear my dad saying in the background. "I'm out."

The door is opened and the violent winds begin to suck everything out of the plane but me and Snake stay cemented to the ground, not moving an inch. He tries to tug on it again in desperation and I notice the parachute on his back. He wants to leave but either he wants the sword or he wants to save me. I shriek again, "Stop!"

He stands up and takes a step away from me, staring out at something out the window. The wind is still whipping around us and he seems to be contemplating something. A strange yellow glow illuminates the interior of the plane and I realise that there's a missile headed straight for us. Part of me hopes Snake Eyes grabs me and jumps out of the plane with me but I know deep down that he won't.

He looks at me and my eyes widen as he begins to run, a soft whisper reaching my ears, "I'm sorry."

Then he's gone and my body is enveloped in searing heat.

"Indianna!" Someone whisper shouts and I wake up, a cold sweat dripping down my face and my neck. My eyes are trying to adjust to the situation but everything is just white and I can still feel the heat from the blast stinging every inch of me. I scream again but the sound is muffled and I realise that there's a hand clasped over my mouth.

My arms are flailing around and my legs are pushing me back against what I'm sure is a wall or a cabinet. "Indianna! It's okay!"

My vision begins to clear up and I realise that I'm in a room that I've never seen before, it's small, brown and some supplies are piled up in a corner. I realise that this is the back room of the jet. It hasn't blown up, I'm still alive. I look up to the person holding his hand over my mouth and tears leak from my already crying eyes when I see Ripcord, staring down at me in concern. He pulls his hand away from my mouth slowly when he sees the recognition in my eyes.

"Rip," I rasp, my voice rough and croaky from the all the screaming. He smiles and nods, crouching down comfortably to come face to face with me.

"What was that?" He murmurs, his voice soothing and comforting. I shudder as the dream replays in my mind. That nightmare had seemed so realistic. Something brushes past my foot and my eyes dart to find what had touched me. I scream loudly as I realise that Snake Eyes is crouching down at my feet and I kick at him. My foot almost hits his chest before he catches the offending limb and sets it to the ground slowly, holding it down so I can't strike again. He holds down the other foot before I can try once more and panic takes over, my stomach recognising the ninja and recreating the searing agony of the blade embedded in my stomach.

I force myself to stay incredibly still and he mirrors my lack of movement, the both of us frozen completely. Ripcord clears his throat but I refuse to take my eyes off of the ninja in front of me. "You were screaming in your sleep."

"Yeah, I know." I respond.

"You were screaming for people. Duke, me and your dad," Ripcord murmurs. "Lucky I don't sleep when someone else is piloting a plane. You would have woken Duke up and given the pilots a heart attack."

"I'm sorry," I whisper, swallowing lightly.

"No, don't be sorry, it's alright. We all have our issues," Ripcord shrugs and I turn to look at him. "I think you scared the crap out of Snake, though he ain't gonna admit it… macho ninja."

Snake shrugs but he doesn't turn to look at Ripcord. "Why would he be scared?"

Rip looks at me strangely for a moment and Snake Eyes shifts his weight slightly, "you were screaming at him like he was killing you."

I sigh and turn my gaze to Snake. "He was."

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**meh, not much of a chapter this kind of just popped into my mind and I added it in all hurried like. **

**Review if you want. **


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